Public Health Emergency Planning Specialist*

SAN-Bernardino-Count; San Bernardino (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

San Bernardino County's Department of Public Health seeks a Public Health Emergency Planning Specialist to coordinate emergency response activities and develop emergency plans for public health crises. The role emphasizes readiness, preparedness, and collaboration with public and private partners.

The ideal candidate will have public health or emergency management expertise, strong planning skills, and experience in program development, training, and grant management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Health Science, Biology, Public Health, or related field.
• One year of full-time experience in health care or emergency services with planning/implementation experience.
• Three years of experience may be considered with alternative education as applicable.
• Master's degree in qualifying fields and ICS training are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Planning and research: design emergency plans based on data and risk assessments.
• Resource allocation: ensure essential resources are available for emergency response.
• Coordination and collaboration: work with staff, programs, departments, and partners.
• Program development, implementation, and evaluation: develop and evaluate preparedness programs.
• Training and exercises: organize drills to prepare personnel and partners.
• Grant management: oversee allocation of grant funds for preparedness initiatives.
• Reporting: prepare and submit required reports to leadership and agencies.
• Emergency response: serve as a key team member during activations.

Skills

Planning & research

Coordination

Public health knowledge

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health Science or related field

Master's degree in Public Health or Emergency Management

Coursework in Health Science/Public Health

Job description

The Department of Public Health (DPH) is recruiting for Public Health Emergency Planning Specialists who function as a coordinator for emergency response activities. Incumbents develop and maintain emergency response plans for the provision of emergency public health care services; prepares public and private partners for emergencies with public health impacts including disease outbreaks, bio-terrorism attacks, hazardous materials, environmental events, or other natural disasters (such as earthquake, wildfire, flood, landslides, and severe weather); and develop and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal guidelines.

The incumbent selected for this position will meet critical Department priorities and deliverables for emergency grants. Incumbent will be dedicated to ensuring the readiness and response capabilities of Public Health with an emphasis on public health preparedness, emergency response and other public health crises.

Key responsibilities may include:

• Planning and Research: Conducts research and designs emergency plans based on data and health risk assessments to address potential public health crises.
• Resource Allocation: Ensures essential resources - such as medical supplies and personnel - are available and effectively distributed for emergency response.
• Coordination and Collaboration: Working with a wide variety of staff, Public Health programs, Departments, and outside agencies to meet shared goals and ensure a unified and coordinated emergency response.
• Program development, implementation, and evaluation:Develops and evaluates emergency preparedness programs.
• Training and Exercises:Organizes and conducts training and drills to prepare public health personnel and partners for real-world emergency scenarios.
• Grant Management: Overseeing the allocation and utilization of funds from grants to support the planning and implementation of emergency preparedness and response initiatives.
• Reporting: Preparing and submitting required reports to leadership, agencies, programs, and/or other departments.
• Emergency Response: Serving as a key team member for the Department of Public Health during emergency activations.

*Official Job Title: Medical Emergency Planning Specialist

For more detailed information, refer to the Medical Emergency Planning Specialist job description.

EXCELLENT BENEFITS

To review job-specific benefits, refer to: Summary of Benefits and the Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

Conditions of Employment

Travel: The incumbent will be required to use their personal vehicle to travel to various office locations as needed (mileage reimbursement is available). At the time of hire, a valid California Class C driver license and proof of automobile liability insurance must be produced and maintained for the individual providing the transportation and maintained throughout employment.

Pre-Employment Process: Applicants selected for these positions must pass a background investigation which may include verification of education and employment history. Applicants are also required to pass a work related physical exam and drug screening.

Visa Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is not able to consider candidates who will require Visa sponsorship at the time of application or in the future. Candidates must be able to present their legal right to work in the United States at the time of employment.

Applicants must meet one of the following options listed below:

Option 1

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Health Science, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Psychology, Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Emergency Management, Epidemiology, Public Administration, Healthcare Administration,Sociology, Business Administration, Communications or closely related field of study.

-AND-

Experience: One (1) year of full-time equivalent experience in a health care, public health, health education, or emergency services program. Experience must include program planning, development, implementation, and/or evaluation.

Option 2

Education: Thirty (30) semester units or forty-five (45) quarter units in Health Science, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Psychology, Occupational Health and Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Emergency Management, Epidemiology, Public Administration, Healthcare Administration, Sociology, Business Administration, Communications or closely related field of study. A list of completed college coursework must be submitted with the application if the candidate does not possess a Bachelor's degree or higher in one (1) of the fields of study listed above. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.

-AND-

Experience: Three (3) years of full-time equivalent experience in a health care, public health, health education, or emergency services program. Experience must include program planning, development, implementation, and/or evaluation.

Note: Experience gained as a disaster worker or reassigned worker during an emergency response such as the COVID-19 pandemic may be considered qualifying and should be clearly listed on the work experience section of the application to be considered.

Note: Coursework must be completed at a college or university accredited by any accrediting association recognized by the United States Department of Education. Degrees or coursework completed outside the U.S. must be accompanied with an evaluation report from a reputable credential evaluation service showing equivalency to degrees or coursework completed at a college or university accredited by any accrediting association recognized by the United States Department of Education.

The ideal applicant will possess a Master's degree in one of the qualifying fields, multiple years of experience in public health setting, emergency management, or Incident Command System (ICS) training. Also, the ideal applicant will possess experience in conducting presentations (for large and small audiences), program development and evaluation, emergency preparedness exercises, and trainings.

Experience with Co-management of the Department Operations Center (DOC) during emergency activations, and maintaining the adequate communication with Department and Countywide partners with respect to emergencies/disasters is highly desirable.

There will be a competitive evaluation of qualifications based on the information provided in the application and the Supplemental Questionnaire.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) / Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA) compliant employer, dedicated to ensuring equal employment opportunities for allemployees and applicants.

ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and need accommodations during the testing process, please submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form (Download PDF) within one week of the recruitmentfiling deadline.

Veterans’ Preference: Eligible veterans and their spouses or widows/widowers who are not current County employees may receive additional Veterans' Preference points. For details and instructions on how to request these points, please refer to the Veterans' Preference Policy.